China's twenty-submarine capacity is not annual output

Why would China build infrastructure capable of accommodating twenty submarines if it does not plan to operate only twenty?

The figure describes simultaneous work across a long pipeline, including maintenance and surge capacity, rather than a one-for-one statement of fleet size or yearly output.

The claim refers to as many as twenty submarines in different construction stages, not twenty completed each year. With a four- or five-year nuclear-submarine build time, a perfectly smooth pipeline might deliver roughly four annually, but design changes and component delays immediately reduce that theoretical rate. The same facilities and suppliers must also support refits and maintenance for boats already in service. China may deliberately build spare infrastructure for surge capacity and employment policy, so physical yard space alone does not reveal the intended final fleet size.